In the Donbas, two referendums were also held, in 2014 and then in 2022.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon was not proposing to consult only the residents of the Donbas. His proposal concerned a national referendum.
The debate concerns a referendum related to the Donbas and the only avenue provided for altering Ukraine’s territory.
Article 73 of the Ukrainian Constitution provides that this change can be decided only by a national referendum.
Consulting only the residents of the Donbas would therefore be contrary to the Ukrainian Constitution. That is the entire difference between the two proposals.
Ukraine counters the proposal with a historical argument.
Nearly 90% of voters had voted in favor of independence. In the Donbas region, 83% of those who voted had also chosen “yes.”.
Holding a referendum today in the Donbas would be particularly complicated: the region is largely occupied by Russian forces.
Since 2014, the Donbas has lost part of its population because of population displacements and the war.
According to specialists on the region, it would be difficult to trust the results of such a vote, given the Russian occupation, these displacements, and the conditions under which the vote could be organized.
Soldiers were greeting voters outside polling stations and even inside the stations themselves.
The UN had taken up the issue and adopted a resolution finding that this referendum had no validity.